nah. sure, it might be called “understandable,” just as any cycle of violence has a predictable, “understandable” tendency to repeat. that doesn’t make it acceptable, though.

this quote isn’t from 1946. a quick search shows that israeli forces first used tanks extensively around 1973. this situates Kertész’s remarks not just in response to the Holocaust, but in the context of over two decades of the Nakba, displacement, destruction, occupation, and the early stages of apartheid against 1.4 million Palestinians.

i don’t see evidence that Kertész was a zealous zionist, but this quote—given the atrocity lurking behind the words—is definitely worthy of interrogation and critique. that kind of questioning is part of universal healing, understanding, and growth.